The Sun Shines Half Past Midnight
by birdmockingblack
Summary: Sasuke's misguided life takes a helluva fall down the rabbit hole after he finally becomes a ninja, one step closer to avenging his family. His first day of his new profession doesn't go as planned when he's literally gutted by a psychotic ninja and, after, learns that this same boy is his new teammate. After meeting the queer enigma Naruto, he can no longer tell sane from insane.


**Foreword**

**A big focus in Naruto is peace, and the ways people go about obtaining it - through fear, deception, sacrifice, etc. This story is about the dark side of the Naruto world (not meaning gore, explicit sex, or anything along those lines), the atrocities that come about in it, and an ideal of peace.**

**This story is somewhat of an alternate universe. There are a few more technological advances in this story; one person's age is changed; and many major events have occurred in the world, causing several things to change from what has happened in canon.**

**Characters normally seen much later in canon may appear earlier than expected. Characters may not act like their canon counter counterparts; there is an explanation for each personality change - a reason behind their new personae. There will be original characters in this story, but they will only be supporting characters at best.**

**Finally, this story will be quite dark. There may be some graphic moments, so make sure to read my notes at the beginning of each chapter, if there are any.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor anything associated with it. I do, however, own each and every original character and idea that appears in this story.  
**

* * *

**It Came From Beyond the Horizon  
**

It was hot. Humid. The village only seemed to boil after the brief rainfalls that came only rarely during the summer. It felt like I was thrown into one of those humongous pots for the seafood boils that the people of _Uzu_ had every June in the southern edge of the old island. The last time I had visited must have been three years ago; I can't believe that I remember that. I'd be lucky if I could even remember my way around Konoha. Officially, I live in Konoha, but during the last eight years I haven't even remained in the village for more than six months at a time, but that's for the best, I suppose.

"Good morning," I say.

I was already at the northern gate. I regret walking so fast, now. I could have had twenty, maybe forty more minutes of quiet time if I had chosen to slow down a bit. Whatever.

"Good morning," one of the guards inside a red roofed booth said. He stood up from the little bench that lined the back of the structure and came to the counter up front. He scratched at his face, trying to mask his eyes as he looked me over. They stopped on the black fabric encircling my neck. "Konoha? I don't believe that I've ever seen you, though... Do you mind if I take a look at your papers?"

"Not at all. It's procedure." In fact, I did mind. I was mostly happy that he didn't recognize me, but I felt a little peeved that any ninja in this village would not know me by sight alone. _I suppose master is right. I am still a little childish, yeah._ I nearly gagged.

I dropped my pack on the ground and began to search it for my passport and the additional papers that I'd need to get back in to what was known as my home. "Here you go." I handed my papers over quickly after finding them.

He took it slowly. Another man walked from behind the booth, taking a spot next to me. He was there to keep an eye on me while the other guard skimmed my documents. The smile on his face made me want to knock the top row of teeth out of his mouth. _Well damn. Two for two, master. I am violent._

"Good morning. What brings you to Konoha?"

I tapped the metal plate on my neck - he had seen it, but was probably hoping for me to slip up. As if he could catch me even if I _was_ trying to sneak by with a disguise. "I'm just returning from a long-term trip. An incredibly long series of missions, actually." That's a lot more action than these doormen have ever seen.

"Really? How long have you been away from the village?"

"It's been nearly four years." His visible eye widened a bit; his right eye was covered by an extended bang of hair. He probably had an eye injury and was just doing his best to cover it without drawing too much attention to it. Real genius. "Yeah, I know, long time."

The other guard was still looking through my papers. He was intentionally stunting his progress so that his partner could have more questioning me.

"How old are you? By your looks you couldn't be older than fifteen."

"Well, aren't you a lucky one." I smirked. "I'm definitely fifteen - right?" I directed this question to the other guard.

The guard inside the booth looked up. I saw his eyes fall back to the papers scattered across the counter, and he began to shift through them once again. He had not checked the information surrounding my birth, a mistake on his part that no real menace would have brought up. These two should just be laid off now. Any ninja could have formulated some kind of strategy to get past (or rid of) these two with all the time they've given me.

I smiled, as far from hostile as I could make it, as he lifted his head up. _Do you remember it?_ He looked so shaken then, I felt the urge to console him.

"You were born February eleventh. Fifteen years ago."

"Kotetsu." The guard who had been keeping his one good eye on me turned away. "What's the matter." At least he was ignorant to that very important date.

The chunin guard, Kotetsu, kept his shaky eyes on me as he began to collect and lay my papers back into the little cord-wrapped bundle I had given him. He's uncomfortable speaking to me now that he knows who I am. His rickety behavior made me so, _so_ angry.

"Here you are." He was returning my papers, just handing them right back to me after a single glance at my birthday, my name. His partner was the very image of the word discombobulated. He looked as if his own mother had taken her fist and smashed it across his face. He would not have looked so surprised had he known who I was.

"Welcome back to the village." The man inside the booth said.

I took the papers with a smile on my face. I wrapped them back up and threw them in my bag and slung it over my shoulder.

"Thank you, Kotetsu-san." I bowed. I gave my elder the expected respect that was called for in these situations. I lifted my head and saw the beginning of worry etching the corners of the chunin's face. I could not help my self. I sneered at him, I glared. But for only a moment. He shook like a leaf.

"And to you, as well." I bowed to the other chunin.

The other chunin responded with a nod. "No problem. It's nice to have you back."

I nodded, I smiled. "Thank you. Well, so long."

I already knew what would occur over the next few hours. Word would spread of my return faster than that of news of the _Daimyo_'s cat running away. Whether or not it was true, a rumor would take off on its own accord and fly high for quite some time with the ignorant whispers of the general population under its wings to keep it airborne. If there was anything able to truly test my patience, it would have to be gossip. Amongst ninja no less. Individuals taught to kill their emotions, strangle any empathy left inside their already wheezing hearts.

A despicable lot of human waste, if I were ever asked to describe them with my utmost honesty. I can't help but laugh. I was no exception.

Whatever. I knew that I risked being fingered the moment I decided to return. Maybe I shouldn't have played with that guard though? Whatever.

The sun was peeping over the edge of the village monument by the time the large red mansion of the Hokage came in sight. There were no _shinobi_ in sight - not plain sight, anyway. Hiding in the climbing shadows of the many buildings surrounding the mansion were several ANBU personnel. Protection of the village leader was top their priority amongst anything else.

I stopped just short of the door, a dark green wood that conflicted with the rest of the red and brown scheme, and looked over my shoulder. "I'll just be a second. So don't worry about following me."

There was a dull thump a few meters back. Whoever I was talking to must not have thought that I knew that he and his comrades were watching me. That little noise was a loud sounding bell for greenhorn.

I knocked on one of the big double doors, dragging my fingernails against the grain of the door as I pulled my fist back from each knock. It was a customary knock that told the surrounding ninja to hold their positions. The door began to creak open after my fifth hit. The left side swung out while the right side swept in. The doors were made to open in opposite directions to stop any form of barricade. The mansion was a fortress not built to confine its occupant, just to occasionally shelter him; for all of the Hokage's business was done elsewhere. It was a precaution taken by the Shodai to head off any attempt of assassination.

The doors fully opened. Standing in the doorway of a luxurious waiting room was a man with his smoke held firmly in his lips. His head angled up and to the side as he exhaled a plume of gray.

"Well would you look at this," he said. "Kitten's back."

I smiled back at him. That nickname was something I hadn't heard in years. Kitten was the name I'd adopted from a few of the older ninja because of my appearance, which was always more feminine than all of the other boys, and because of my age.

"It's nice to see you again, Asuma-san. It's been such a long time since I've been back home. Do you mind if I come in?"

He quickly gave his assent to my request and allowed me entrance into the mansion. I had not been inside this wonderful place for more than four years, and, oh, how gorgeous it was! My eyes roamed over the impeccable wood interior. The spiral staircase stood with all its glory after more than eighty years, the burnish of the floor immaculate. This home, which had been sculpted by the very tasteful _Shodai Hokage_, was the most beautiful piece of Konoha. It was a fine edifice crafted through the use of a benevolent technique - what was supposed to be a benevolent technique, anyway. A ninja would use a baby's rattle to kill a man if it was practical. "Pity," I said.

"What was that?" Asuma said as he lit another cigarette, his previous one done for.

"Nothing." I began to pace around the floor and to look at all of the new items in the room. "Is the old man here? I really need to speak with him."

"He's preparing to leave as we speak. He'll be down in a few minutes. You okay with that?"

"Yeah," I said.

Asuma nodded. He snorted. "Boy have you changed, kid." Asuma smiled as he continued to inhale the smoke of his stick. "I wouldn't have recognized ya' if those whiskers weren't still on your cheeks."

I rubbed my face. I smiled, blushed. Mother's bangle brushed against my cheek. "Dattebane! These things are going to make it so hard for me to surprise anyone!"

* * *

The sight of the sun climbing over the tree lining, shining on the face of the pond is beautiful. It is a rare sight. Konoha in the summer was humid, muggy, and cloudy; for the sky to be so clear during this season was simply an awful event.

Sasuke inhaled the morning breeze and blew the air right back out in brief satisfaction. He lifted his arms over his head, gave them a good swing, and let them fall back to the pond's boardwalk. This and the occasional book are the only forms of relaxation that he allowed himself now. Training is his life at the moment, no doubt. He has a goal to reach and taking it easy would never put him closer to it.

Five years ago, Sasuke's entire family was murdered by the hand of his older brother. His world had been destroyed that night and, since then, most of the time all he could think of was getting stronger and killing his older brother.

He stood up and allowed himself one last look back at the pond. He is heading to class. One final day of class. One step closer.

The prospect of finally gaining a teacher excited him to no end. He had learned a great deal by delving into his family's collection of techniques, but he knew that those wouldn't be enough for him to even graze his would be opponent. His brother had known every single thing listed in those scrolls at the time of his betrayal, and he must have mastered a plethora of techniques over the years since. Sasuke would have to expand his sights, just as his brother had did, and become more than just an Uchiha. He cannot allow himself to be restricted to his clan's way of fighting like the Hyuga.

His teacher would aid him in his first steps. Whoever was assigned to teach him would undoubtedly have useful techniques for him, whether they be _ninjutsu_ or _genjutsu _or _taijutsu_. Meeting his teacher would be a bright moment in his life, yes; he just wished that he didn't have to share that person with two other people. Though it was disappointing to say the least, he was still anticipating the coming events.

The sun had climbed to a good height by the time Sasuke made it to the village's main road. Down the road was the academy and the Hokage's estate not far from it. To the sides were various venders and shops, preparing foods for the soon coming morning patrons. The smell of foods wafted into Sasuke's nose and he found himself glancing around the area. He had come this way every morning ever since his relocation from the Uchiha district, but he had never stopped at any of the food places around. After today he probably would not be able stop at any of these places for a long while. He decided to break habit and purchase something.

He stopped at a small cart and purchased a pork bun. It was an impulsive buy that he had hardly afforded any thought. He smelled it, the aromatic steam wafting through the air, and, before he knew it, his money sat in a street vendor's palm. Now, as he walked down the street, his fingers dug into the warm bun. He stared at it off and on as he ripped it apart. _Why did I even get this stupid thing?_ He was nearly to the academy by the time he decided on what to do with the bun. He tossed it on the ground.

"It's better off with the birds."

There was barely a soul inside the academy when Sasuke entered it. Only the instructors were present at the hour. They roamed the halls with as much vivacity as the dead. Unlike him, they would have to return to this wretched edifice after today. True, he would also be required to return, as the mission dispatch office was part of the academy, but his school days were over. He passed some instructors and uttered a small "Morning" to each of them.

He walked into his classroom and found it empty. The seating was tiered, with the row furthest from the instructor's podium at the top of the class and the closest at the bottom. He descended the stairs trisecting the class until he reached the middle row. He shimmied down this row until he reached his seat, right next to the window. He laid his head on his desk and closed his eyes. A half hour remained until the rest of the class would begin to funnel in and occupy the seats around him.

The other students were always a bother. Their chatter was a constant molestation to his ears; their childish antics while usually not directed toward him, inspired blinding headaches to consume the mind. He was sure that most of them would die early if they continued to pursue their professions as ninja. Most but not all of them. Though it was a sad reality, only the children born of a major clan had any real potential. Aburame, Akimichi, Inuzuka, Nara, Hyuga, and Yamanaka - they would at least make _chunin_ some day. It was unfair, Sasuke realized, that they would obtain their statuses as somewhat great ninja, because there was no real difference between them and the other students besides the fact that they had been born into a clan as clan heirs no less. Some of them received structured lessons since the day that they could walk. Just as their parents were, they were taught the techniques developed by a long-forgotten ancestor. If it was not for this information handed down generation after generation, they would be no better than the other students.

Of course, that did not apply to Sasuke. He was provided with nothing but papers filled with drawings; his clan's scrolls had not been expanded upon since their conception. The Uchiha were taught their clan techniques verbally and visually through demonstration. With his entire clan wiped off the face of the Earth, he could not learn from anyone but himself. The only thing that he had that the others did not was determination.

Yes, he was different. He could see it now, just how little in common he and the other graduates had. Most of them stood around chatting with each other as if nothing had changed since yesterday. There were several boys behind Sasuke howling with laughter at the lewd jokes made by another. All around the room the giggling of prepubescent girls was heard. They stared at him and quickly turned their heads, fawning, if he so much as shifted the tiniest bit. Could they not see what they were getting themselves into? _Whatever,_ he thought. _If they want to be killed the moment they step on the battlefield, so be it. It's not my life._

There was a loud shout calling the attention of all the graduates. Sasuke sat up and half paid attention. Iruka stood with his back straight, rigid as a stone column. His face was red, his eyes hard. The other children had hushed themselves. Iruka had always held that kind of authority with his students, in or outside of the academy. Iruka softened his composure and began to speak.

Sasuke propped his head up on his hand and shut his eyes. Iruka loved to give lengthy speeches, his curriculum revolved around them. He could talk for more than hour if allowed to, and he would have done just that today. Daikoku-sensei stopped Iruka before he fell too deeply into the swagger of his voice. They were saved from their long-winded instructor. Iruka shuffled his feet awkwardly and sighed, and he began to read the graduates' team assignments.

Sasuke sighed. He looked around the classroom, and he wondered who would be placed with him.

_God, I hope I don't get one of those lovey-dovey girls..._

There really were no good options, though. Regardless of who he was placed with there would be some drawback. Sasuke resigned himself to this thought. He just sat in his seat and waited for his name.

"Team seven will consist of Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke, and Uzumaki Naruto." Iruka paused after saying the last name. He glanced around the room. He looked confused, but he shrugged and continued to read aloud. "Your captain shall be Hatake Kakashi." Iruka continued on reading the names of the graduates assigned to whatever team and their respective leaders, but Sasuke paid him no mind.

_Great._ Sasuke sat his head on his desk, again. Becoming a ninja was not looking so glamorous now. He had not considered the possibility of being placed on Kakashi's team. The man was intolerable. He was infamous for his tardiness and his shameless reading of erotica in public. What was worse was that Kakashi was a stickler for the basics. Sasuke had the misfortune of learning all of this firsthand when he was nine years old. After his brother's treachery he was constantly shipped around from one guardian to another and Kakashi happened to be one of those people. He lived with the man for eight months, and for eight months he loathed the man. He offered him nothing useful for his development. All he spoke about were "the essential fundamentals for every ninja" and teamwork. The man had even dug into an old crate of books (which was mostly filled with erotic literature) and given Sasuke everything that was even remotely related to teamwork and developing friendships (including one book that was labeled "18+").

Sasuke groaned. He realized that things would only continue to worsen. He was being placed on the same team as Sakura. _The girl is weak._ He couldn't help but think it. He never actually paid any attention to her in class but it was obvious just how weak she was by only taking one glance at her. She looked nothing like a real _kunoichi_, a trait that most of the graduates shared. Her hair was much too long, and it would only disturb her vision when in real combat. She was frail and meek, always shaking like a leaf; she looked nothing like a competent ninja. And this Naruto - why he had no idea who he was!

_He's probably just some loser who barely passed the_ _exam._

After he finished reading the team assignments, Iruka wished his former students good luck one last time. He had actually begun to cry as he said farewell. He dismissed them and told them to be back in the room by twelve o'clock to be acquired by their leaders. In the meantime, they were meant to socialize.

Teams began to form in small clumps throughout the room. The room was filled with the children's chatter. Sasuke stood up and began walking toward the door. He was not in the mood for any of this after hearing who he would be stuck with. He ignored the giggling girls standing near the door and left the classroom. It was just as he exited that he could hear Sakura calling him and telling him to wait for her.

Sasuke reluctantly stopped walking and turned around to face Sakura. "What?" he said.

Sakura looked apprehensive. She was blushing. She gripped her left arm and bit her bottom lip. "Um, Sasuke-kun, seeing as we're teammates now, and there's no telling how long we'll be together, I believe that we should attempt to get to know one another better, so that we can work together efficiently in the near future."

Sasuke stared at Sakura, befuddled by her approach. Her speech pattern was as broken as the canopy of the Forest of Dead Trees that resided south of the village, and She looked like she was on the verge of spraying him with whatever bile resided in her stomach. He had never seen anyone behave this way. She was nervous, as any girl would be when interacting with him, but she seemed to be taking the situation too far.

"Are you okay?" Sasuke said, a little frown now developing across his face. He backed away just a bit. "You look like your about to puke."

"I'm fine." Sakura nodded. She tightened her grip on her arm. She continued to speak despite her stutter. "I'm just a little nervous. I never thought that I would be on the same team as the rookie of the year!"

"What?" Sasuke was taken aback by Sakura's sudden admission.

"Yeah. I thought that I would be placed on a team with, well, people like me. Weaklings." She sounded awfully sad, but she smiled. The left side of her face did not exactly match the right side, Sasuke noticed, but he redirected his attention back to what Sakura was saying. "I wouldn't be able to get stronger if I ended up on a team with other unreliable people, but since I'm with someone like you I'll definitely benefit. Your _taijutsu_ and _ninjutsu_ skills are amazing. The way you always continue to advance in your attacks and maintain a cool-head makes me so envious."

This came as a surprise to Sasuke. He found it incredibly hard to believe that a girl would be interested in him for reasons other than him being "cool" or "dreamy", but it appeared that at least one girl could stand to recognize his other qualities. "Okay."

Sakura blushed. She lowered her head and apologized for her long-winded self. The academy was nearly void of any of the graduates by the time she finished speaking. "Sorry about that. Well, um, did you make up your mind about spending some time together?"

_She's not as bad as I thought she'd be._ Sasuke reasoned with himself._ The way she talks is damn frustrating, but she's much better company than any of those other freaks. _"Sure," he said. He shrugged his shoulders and began to leave the hallway.

"Okay, let's go. Wait." Sakura suddenly stopped. She bit her lip pensively, and she returned her hand to her arm. "Do you know who Uzumaki Naruto is? I know the names of everyone in the class, but I've never heard of him before."

Sasuke responded briskly, "He may already be a ninja. It's not uncommon for genin to be teamed with other, already existing genin." Sasuke thought it was strange that his third teammate could possibly be an active member of Konoha's ninja ranks, but, honestly, he really did not care much about that possibility. _If he is active, at least he may not be totally incompetent._

Sakura silently agreed with him. She looked like she had more to say on the matter, but she instead chose to follow Sasuke out of the deserted school building.

* * *

Sasuke returned to the academy with a sour expression adorning his face. His outing with Sakura had been terrible. Upon exiting the academy, Sasuke decided to visit a little dango shop, where he then learned that Sakura had a stomach as strong as the delicate paper of a lantern. She vomited before her first bite of dango could settle in her stomach. And much of her stomach acid landed on Sasuke.

He had to return home for a shower and a change of clothes.

And, no, that was not the end of it. It was difficult to tolerate the girl. No matter how hard he tried to do so. The abysmally long conversations, her weak stomach, and her flimsy posture all served only to irritate him.

Sasuke took the first open seat he could find amongst the class of rookie genin. Sakura sat next to him with her head bowed in a mist of heady depression. Sasuke ignored her. He laid his head on his desk and prepared for the long wait until his leader's arrival.

Nearly three hours had passed before Kakashi arrived. By then the entire classroom had been emptied of all its occupants, minus two sleeping genin. Sasuke's face had melded with the desk, and a puddle of drool had formed just beside his chin. Sakura's head bobbed back and forth as she muttered about something involving rashes ( or radishes). Kakashi had taken a seat between the two and made himself as comfortable as possible. His feet were up on the desk, his left arm hanging lazily from the desk behind him and above Sakura's head, and his other held the latest addition of the Icha Icha series as he read and gently thumbed through its pages.

Sakura whined as she began to wake up. The giggling she heard was much too loud to ignore. She rubbed her eyes and turned to the source of merriment.

Kakashi's attention briefly left his book when he felt a pair of eyes on him. He closed his book and faced the young girl to his left. He smiled at her, but it mostly went unseen because of the mask on his face. "Yo," he said.

Sasuke jolted up immediately as the screaming of what sounded like a dying deer assaulted his ears. He stood on top of his desk, a kunai in his left hand, breathing shakily. His expression soured immediately as he realized his state of alarm was unnecessary. He glanced at the clock above the chalkboard and his frown further deepened. He returned his weapon to his pouch as he glared at Kakashi. He was slightly tempted to throw it regardless. However, he choose to express his dissatisfaction with a simple, "You're late."

Kakashi stared warily at Sakura's heaving form, afraid that she would puke on him after her outburst. He stood up and moved away from the girl. He then turned his attention to Sasuke. The look of detest had yet to fade from the boy's eyes. "Hello to you, too." They stared at each other, neither willing to abandon the odd staring contest they had begun. In the end, Kakashi's nonchalance triumphed against Sasuke's stubbornness, as it always had and would probably continue to do.

Kakashi crossed his arms, all the while taking in every detail of his two students. Sasuke appeared disgruntled, very much so. The boy had always been difficult to deal with, and it looked like that had yet to change. Sakura on the other hand looked like a frightened puppy. He had little confidence that the two would cooperate properly. Sasuke was much too headstrong and, from what little Kakashi had read in her file, Sakura was an incredibly submissive person.

_Sasuke will probably intimidate her so much that she'll just go along with anything he says. I doubt that he'll even consult her when an obstacle he's inadequately prepared for arises__._

And then there was his other student... _Really, I can't say much for him. I haven't seen him in so long._

Sasuke sat down, unpleasant look still plastered on his face. He continued to glare at his idle teacher. _I knew it. The Scarecrow's as beneficial as ever. It's been two years since I've seen him and the asshole still can't show up anywhere on time._ Truth be told, Sasuke had been prepared to wait another two hours for his former guardian to arrive, but he had also been hoping that Kakashi would walked in on time and woken him up. He felt like a moron for even considering something like that ever happening.

Of course, Kakashi was not the only person Sasuke was picturing tied and gagged, above a pit of bubbling asphalt. Yes, Sakura was currently high up on his shit list for puking on him and then nearly bursting his eardrums, but she was not the other person. Uzumaki Naruto was the fellow joining Kakashi for a plunge in the searing black goo.

During his time living with Kakashi, Sasuke had acquired two traits: his passion for reading and his obsession with punctuality.

Kakashi was a boring man who loved to avoid all activities not related to his career as a ninja, and, in his opinion, looking after a nine year old boy was very - _very_ - loosely related to his career as a ninja. He made sure that Sasuke had plenty to eat, a decent living and sleeping area, and clothes on his back. What the boy did for fun was his own problem. Whenever asked, or demanded at times, to train him, Kakashi would always reply with a negative, then lecture him about the fundamentals (which he had never displayed) and teamwork. Kakashi figured that the kid would stop bothering him after a while, when he finally got the picture and realized that Kakashi would not train him.

He did not.

Sasuke seemed determined to harass his guardian until the man gave out and actively took an interest in his growth. He would repeat the same words everyday, eight times a day, fifteen minutes every time, for nearly four weeks "Train me." And according to Sasuke's prediction Kakashi's will did bend - just not in the way he wanted it to. On the third day of the fourth week, on the sixth repetition, Kakashi shouted, "Enough!" The then twenty-three year old stalked off to his bedroom and later returned with a crate full of books, the majority erotica. He dug around, scraped the bottom of the crate and threw three books at his young charge and plainly told him, "Read." Sasuke did just that, after throwing a tantrum and being locked in a tiny closet with only a single light within its confines. For the next several months, Sasuke would read, for that was all he could do, and Kakashi made sure to supplement his new habit by buying the boy several more books to keep him occupied.

Over the years, Sasuke just continued to read, whenever he was not training or at the pond near his old clan compound.

As for his second quirk, well, that was pretty much self explanatory. Kakashi would often leave his little guest in his little apartment for hours on end, just after telling Sasuke that he'd be back at such and such a time. He never would return for the time - and sometimes day - he said he would. Kakashi hardly ever let him know when he would be leaving on a mission or just _leaving_. Sasuke would find out when a random woman (a different one almost every time) would drop in and check on him. They would usually find him reading at Kakashi's small coffee table, his face red and cheeks puffy.

So to know that not only Kakashi had decided to arrive so late, but also his new teammate, had very much infuriated Sasuke.

"Hey. Kakashi," Sasuke called. He had obviously broke his teacher out of some sort of reverie as he seemed to, once again, take in the details of Sasuke and Sakura, as well as the classroom. "Hm?" The man hummed.

"Who, and where, is Uzumaki Naruto?"

Kakashi blinked. He placed a hand on the underside of his chin and muttered, "Uzumaki Naruto, huh?" Of course he knew exactly who Sasuke was talking about, but he liked to tease the boy when he could.

"He's our teammate," came Sakura's squirrelly voice.

"Oh yeah," Kakashi said, head inclined. "He's an active ninja. And, from what I've heard, he's just returned to the village sometime this morning."

Sasuke grunted. He had guessed right, their absent teammate was already active. "So why the hell isn't he here? It's three o' clock. He's had enough time to rest."

Kakashi's languid gaze met Sasuke's, again. _So confrontational... I don't think he and Naruto will get along. No, they definitely won't._ "He's been on a long-term mission. By himself. He deserves to have some down time."

Sasuke's left eyebrow raised, his right dipped a little. "He's already taking solo missions?" That's not right; genin are not allowed to take solo missions. Chunin status must be reached before a ninja could travel outside the village alone. It is a prerequisite in Konoha.

"Well, yes," Kakashi shrugged. "He's a chunin, after all."

"Chunin?" Sakura was next to inquire, stutter still present.

Sasuke followed up. "Why is a chunin being placed with two fresh genin?"

Kakashi shrugged in response. "Who knows... Perhaps the Hokage is punishing an insubordinate ninja by placing him with a mouthy brat?" Kakashi shrugged once more, shaking off the heated glare directed toward him. "It doesn't really matter. Just be happy that you'll have a teammate well versed in the fundamentals and teamwork."

"Wonderful," Sasuke replied dryly. "So, are we going to meet this guy any time soon?"

"Not today. If he hasn't shown up by now he's probably not going to show up at all."

"_Ano_," Sakura mumbled. "Hatake-sensei," she began, already destroying each syllable that left her mouth, "if Uzumaki-san is not coming, why are we here? We can't do much without him - I mean, we can, but we'll have to repeat whatever we do today with Uzumaki-san tomorrow. Isn't that a little redundant - for us I mean."

Kakashi frowned as Sakura spoke. Kakashi, to his credit, waited patiently for his student to finish expressing her thoughts. "Right," he replied. He cupped his chin, again, and took some time to ponder the current situation. He shrugged upon coming to a conclusion. "Let's call it a day, then. I'm not the kind of guy who likes to repeat himself, so I'd much rather meet with all of us present."

Kakashi received his book from his flak jacket and began walking to the classroom's door. "Be here tomorrow at seven o' clock, on the roof of the school." He walked out with a little wave.

Sasuke sighed, feeling more than a little irked from the day's events. Things had clearly not gone the way he expected them to. He should already be outside, training, but instead he must _wait_. _I hate Kakashi._ He sighed again, trying to expel the weariness building up inside him. "Sasuke-kun?" He crudely twisted his head toward Sakura and said, "What?"

"Well," she began, "I... I wanted... You see..." She stuttered horribly, unable to think straight with Sasuke's angry eyes on her.

"Spit it out already!"

Sakura froze, her eyes clenched shut. "I... It's nothing..." She stood up abruptly and darted around the desk and to the door. She stopped her movements just as quickly as she had started them. She turned back to the bewildered brunette and smiled shakily. "Sorry about earlier." She bolted then, out the classroom.

Sasuke stared at the space previously occupied by Sakura, a small glimmer of contrite on his face. "She's so sensitive," he muttered. "Maybe I shouldn't have yelled..." He quickly shook his head, banishing the thought.

"She should just be a stronger person."

Sasuke left the academy and immediately began to traverse to the old Uchiha training grounds, where he was the only one who actively trained.

* * *

Sasuke felt it his obligation to continue patronizing the land, for his kinsmen could not.

Every day Sasuke would begin his workout with a test of his throwing ability. It was something that he could not ignore, considering that his brother had been, and most likely still is, the most proficient when it came to _shuriken_ throwing.

He scowled after his completion of the exercise. Three shuriken had missed their marks. Admittedly, these targets were extremely difficult to hit, but the notion that Itachi would have found no difficulty in hitting them was impossible to ignore. Sasuke did his best to not entertain this thought though, because if he did, he would definitely not be going home this night. Instead he went about the area collecting his tools.

Barely three minutes passed before Sasuke came up to the final target. It was on a tree located about twenty meters from his throwing position. He grunted, now within arm's length of the tree, as he noticed the target was barren of any _shuriken_.

"I could have sworn that I hit this one..." The tree was riddled with puncture marks where an assortment of ninja tools had cut into it, so there was no real way for Sasuke to confirm that he had hit the tree. He muttered, "Even if I missed the target, it should still be in the general area."

"Shit," Sasuke exclaimed. "I don't have time to look around for one little piece of steel." He shook his head exasperatedly and made an about face. He had to continue his exercises.

Sasuke was in for quite the shock when he returned to the open space of the training ground. He found his missing tool lodged in a tree stump not far from the center of the area. He stopped walking shortly after laying eyes on it.

"How..." Sasuke visually scanned the area as he took a step backward. _Who?_

"I'm up here."

Sasuke reacted immediately. A slew of _shuriken_ flew through the air and toward the tree the voice had come from. The projectiles thumped into the tree in a short diagonal line. Sasuke examined the area, jerking his head side to side in an effort to locate the person who intruded upon his training. His ears perked up, soft breathing now audible.

"You could have hit me, you know." The speaker stood much closer now. "If I had still been up in that tree, there's a possibility that you could have hit me."

Sasuke turned his head. To his immediate right stood a person with long flaxen hair, dressed in funeral garbs, just slightly taller than him. This person allowed Sasuke no time to react to his - or her (Sasuke really could not tell) - sudden appearance beside his person. A smirk entered Sasuke's vision and next a hand just above his navel.

"Nah. There's no fucking way you could have hit me."

Five blunt points dug into Sasuke's belly, tickling his ribs and causing him to lurch forward and attempt to retreat from the pain. Another hand rested against his back, strongly urging him to remain upright. A verbal retort to the intrusion into his body had begun to form in his chest, but the stranger drew in closer, snaked his arm around Sasuke's neck and covered his mouth, successfully stashing away the boy's voice.

The stranger pushed Sasuke's face toward his own, his devilish smile and vicious aqua glare carving a dreadful sense of anguish into the young boy's heart. "Not a sound," he whispered. His fingers brushed against Sasuke's ribs, made the boy shudder, and he hummed.

"Strange. Very strange," he mused. "Why isn't your _sharingan_ activated?" He quickly reminded Sasuke not to respond. "Do it. Yeah, let me see those red eyes."

_Fucking bastard! I can't..._ Sasuke, immobile and in agonizing pain, flushed. The irksome matter of his late blooming _dojutsu_ was one that he did not need to be reminded of at the moment, one that would only fuel the torment he already felt, and he was not very sure how this deranged he-she would receive his inability to call upon the divine power of the Uchiha.

The stranger's tongue darted out of his mouth, tasting the air. "Can't do it, yeah?" He guffawed. "Whatever." His hand pushed further into Sasuke's body, and the boy began to heave. The hand laid flat against Sasuke's ribcage then it pushed, snapping several bones and allowing its exploration of the Uchiha body to further progress.

"I dislike the fact that you allowed me to capture you, but, I must say, your resilience is admirable." As the stranger spoke, Sasuke nearly doubled over in pain. The trauma being inflicted upon him was enough to work over any half-decent spy.

_Why?_ Sasuke thought. _Why is it still going? Shouldn't it have already..._ All coherent thoughts ceased as the pain intensified. The stranger hummed.

"Your aim is very good. Your senses are pretty dull, though; you didn't even notice where I was until I said something," further and further in his hand went. "You've got some brawn in you for sure, yeah, if the sound of those _shuriken_ making contact with the tree is anything to go by - they were still considerably slow though; I had too much time to get down here before they even entered grazing range." Something was pushed aside, the hand went on. "That also contributes to your speed, considering you're not bulky at all." His already wicked smile grew even wilder. "Now, what does that say about your stamina, huh? Just how long can you go?" His hand hit something. "There we go," he whispered.

As the hand bawled up within him, Sasuke choked. The stranger's hand slid out out of him easily the next moment, free of blood or any gore which should have dressed it. Something else came out, too, if Sasuke could trust the sensation in his belly, but he was unable to look down and see what the stranger had journeyed within him to acquire.

"You held up well, yeah," the stranger released his hold on Sasuke and backed up some distance, face turned away from the boy, "but I suggest you avoid being caught off-guard like that from now on."

Sasuke had already collapsed to his knees by the time the stranger halted in his retreat from his side. His own trembling hand reached beneath his shirt and clutched his abdomen, probing for some sort of puncture wound, more than a few off-set bones. He found noting out of the ordinary. "Who the hell are you?" he snarled, wheezed, spat.

The stranger made an about-face. His person on full display, a devious little smile on his face, he said, "Just someone looking forward to a brighter tomorrow." The thick lines on his face crinkled, his eyes thinned. "No offense, yeah, Sasuke?"

"Bastard," is what Sasuke would have said had he not succumbed to exhaustion just before his completion of the word. He collapsed on the floor of the training grounds with his hand still in his shirt. The last time he had been nearly as worn out was the day he had laid eyes on his beloved brother splattered with the blood of hundreds of his kinsmen.

* * *

Sasuke woke up in his bed. Alarmed, he sprung out of his sheets, the _kunai_ which normally hid beneath his pillow in hand. His breathing was heavy, the ache in his abdomen insistent, his nerves on end. He searched his bedroom for any sign of intrusion but found none.

Sasuke exited his bedroom and silently entered his living area and repeated his search there, and then in the kitchen and bathroom and any other remaining part of the house. His results: nonexistent.

Sasuke returned to his living room and placed himself on the sofa beside his house phone. He picked it up and quickly called the lobby of his condo-complex.

"Good morning, this is Shishi speaking. How may I be of service to you today?"

Sasuke was speaking even before the doorman on the other line could finish his first sentence. He inquired about how he had returned last night.

"Well, sir, you simply walked in. Just as you always do, you walked in with your own 'hello' and went straight up to your home."

"Only me?"

"Yes, sir, only you."

"Did I look strange in anyway? How did I behave?"

Shishi, the doorman, sighed. "Uchiha-san, your appearance was as it always is after you return for the night. You were dirty, you were sweaty, but that is how you return from your training every night, sir. Now, if you believe that something unethical occurred last night, I suggest you contact the proper authorities and have them look into whatever may have happened with you _before_ your return to this complex."

"Right." Sasuke thanked his doorman rather briskly and hung up the phone. "Shishi, you good for nothing piece of..." He reigned in his anger, fingering his aching belly. "Who was that ninja? And just what did he do to me?"

The he-she definitely seemed dangerous, and Sasuke was sure he had only glimpsed a small portion of that ninja's might; however, he had the strange inkling that the stranger's motive for assaulting him were not exactly malevolent. Of course, that didn't justify hitting him with a dose of killing intent large enough to shut down his motor functions, or shoving a _fucking_ _hand_ inside of him (despite that probably being some surreal illusion).

Sasuke's expression immediately sours. "This may be worth speaking to Kakashi about." Sasuke grumbles discontentedly. "Or, better yet, the Hokage."

Still rubbing himself, Sasuke deigned it time to begin his preparations for the day. He grabbed a towel from his laundry room and some fresh undergarments and quickly with his bathroom. While showering, Sasuke figured it would not hurt to mention the event to Kakashi before the Hokage. The man's reliability regarding arrival time may be flimsy at best, but he was sure to handle any situation he was confronted with accordingly.

* * *

This morning resembled any other. Just as he did the day before, Sasuke traversed the village's main road, on his way to the academy. Unlike yesterday though, Sasuke would not purchase anything today and would instead continue on to the academy without any disturbance. He reached the academy's rooftop at a quarter to seven and remained there on his own until only two minutes before the meeting time.

Sakura trudged up the stairs leading to the roof. She panted heavily, the extreme rise and fall of her chest not a good sign of her condition. Sasuke spared her an eye for perhaps a second or two after her greeting. "Morning," he said.

Sakura took her seat beside Sasuke, smoothing out her clothing as she did so. She sat silent for but a moment before speaking.

"I can't wait to meet Uzumaki-san."

Sasuke glanced at her from the corner of his eye and saw her crooked smile etched across her face. "He better be good."

Sakura directed her grin his way, and he had to fight his urge to cringe. "From what I've heard he's really good, Sasuke-kun. A few _chunin_ mentioned him."

Sasuke's hand finds its way to his still aching belly and idly rubs tiny circles into his flesh. _So he has some sort of a reputation. Good news._ "What have you heard?"

"Well, not much," she admitted, "but I know that he participated in the last war! And he's only fifteen!"

That piqued Sasuke's interest for sure. The last Great War had concluded only four years ago, apparently when their teammate was somewhere near eleven years of age. Now, the fact that Uzumaki Naruto was involved with the war does not mean that he's a particularly skilled ninja. _After all, he is being placed with two very green genin._ However, the possibility of him being somewhat powerful had risen by just a bit. Sasuke nodded.

"Good," Sasuke said. He grunted softly as his fingers pressed too much against his vacant wound.

Sakura blushed a little. She covered her smile. "Thanks, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke momentarily considered telling the girl that he had not been referring to her acquisition and relay of the information regarding their mysterious teammate but the merit of that information itself, but he decided to not do so.

"Yo."

Sasuke turned around, somewhat startled by the unenthusiastic greeting of his teacher, Hatake Kakashi. The man had obviously chosen a different route to the rooftop than Sasuke and Sakura, probably with the intention of startling his new students. He had succeeded.

Befuddled, Sasuke says, "What are you doing here?"

In turn, Kakashi's brow furrowed. "Coming to meet with my new team."

Exasperation took over quickly. Speaking through a particularly deep scowl, Sasuke says, "I see that. Why are you here so early?"

Sakura is still only recovering from the scare she had just been given yet she goes on to question Sasuke's alarm at their teacher's arrival time. "He's actually three minutes late, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke grimaces, he awaits Kakashi's answer.

Kakashi shrugs. He resumes reading his book, but he says, "I didn't want to make Naruto wait is all." He covers the distance between himself and his students, and he keeps walking until he reaches the roof's railing. He leans against it. Sasuke figures that he must have gotten a glimpse at his face because next he says, "Why? Is something wrong?"

Kakashi doesn't stop reading his book. Sasuke frowns, and so does Sakura, but for a different reason.

Kakashi sighs, but not out of resignation. He's not so oblivious that he would misread a young boy's silence. "Alright," he says; he means, _We'll speak later._

Thankfully, the quiet atop the the academy's roof, complimented with the chirping of birds and the ruckus of children entering school, only lasted a while longer. Ten minutes after seven humming could be heard.

"There he is." Kakashi finally puts his book away, instead focusing on a point behind Sasuke and Sakura. It seems the newcomer and Kakashi were of like minds.

Sasuke turns his head partially. He stops his movements as a foot clad in a black shin-high sandal fell beside him. He stared at the foot before slowly lifting his head, then seeing Sakura covering her blushing face, and going further up the leg. Black. All he saw was black. By the looks of it, this person had come prepared to attend a funeral.

Sasuke's lips parted slowly as he took in the person's features - his long blond hair, big blue eyes, and the six lines divided on his cheeks. A warm smile was the next addition. The pulsating pain in Sasuke's side fizzled out as a terrible numbness overrode his thinking faculties and discontinued his ability to process anything.

The blond boy laughs. "Sorry for being late and all." His hand slips behind his head, and his smile grows larger. "Yeah, not just today. Yesterday, too."

"No problem at all," Kakashi remarks, and - _God please don't say what I think you're going to say! Please don't let that be his name! Please don't say - _"Naruto."

Kakashi's eye crinkles, a hidden smile beneath his mask; Sakura is awestruck and gasping a little, her cheeks burn a little too feverishly; Naruto laughs heartily, somehow ignorant of the havoc he's caused to stir up in the boy beside him; and Sasuke feels as if his heart has just vacated his body, ready to slump over and just stop.

_Terrific._

* * *

**How was that? It's something I've had half-finished for more than a year now, and I've finally grown tired of seeing it without an end. Of course, this is not the end. The second chapter already contains a 1/3 (or 1/2) of its probable length, so I may finish that some time.**

**Anyway, yeah, this is a story that, despite what is in this chapter or any of the next few I'm writing, deal heavily with the mechanics and theory of techniques within Naruto. And, yeah, that whole "ideal of peace" thing, too. So, I'll try to write this for its entirety and clean it up as much as possible at that.**

**Tell me what you think of this so far: what it's lacking (because I know there is something absent here), what is there but needs to improved, or what you just like.**


End file.
